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New faces ready for their debut as Colorado legislature begins session

By Lynn BartelsThe Denver Post

Posted:
01/09/2013 12:01:00 AM MST

Updated:
01/09/2013 09:35:08 AM MST

Colorado Capitol building maintenance workers Ken Naranjo, left, and Jack Wirta install a new projector in the Senate chambers with the help of Chief Sergeant-at-Arms Philip Brown on Tuesday. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

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But, like so many Republicans, he is optimistic that two years from now he'll be back in his old office.

"We're going to be fine," Coram said, of being in the minority. "We're still going to work across the aisle and do the work of the people."

One of the most historic moments will come when Speaker Frank McNulty — the Republican lawmaker who made sure a civil unions bill died a dramatic death in the 2012 session — hands the gavel off to the new speaker, Mark Ferrandino. The Denver Democrat, who is gay, sponsored the civil unions measure.

Both the Senate and House chambers will be filled with families and guests as lawmakers are sworn into office after the session convenes at 10 a.m. All 65 House seats were up for election in November, and 20 of the 35 Senate seats were on the ballot.

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The new Senate president and House speaker and the minority leaders will deliver speeches all with the same goal in mind: moving Colorado forward. But they admit their parties often have different ideas about how to do that.

The House and Senate are expected to adjourn before noon.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, all 100 lawmakers will be on the House floor to hear Gov. John Hickenlooper deliver his third State of the State speech.

On Tuesday, the Capitol was abuzz.

House Democrats rolled out four proposals to help small and medium-size businesses in Colorado.

One proposal from Rep. Max Tyler, of Lakewood, would provide an additional $500,000 over two years to the state's Small Business Development Centers to help start-up companies.

Meanwhile, Rep. Pete Lee, of Colorado Springs, and Rep.-elect Leroy Garcia, of Pueblo, are sponsoring a measure that would create an "economic gardening" pilot program to help existing Colorado mid-size businesses grow. That program would be funded with $200,000 from the additional money to the Small Business Development Centers from Tyler's bill.

Rep. Crisanta Duran, of Denver, and Rep.-elect Jovan Melton, of Aurora, are proposing legislation to create a "career pathways" program of grants to expand workforce training programs approved by nonprofit programs.

Finally, a bill from Rep. Rhonda Fields and Rep. John Buckner, both of Aurora, would direct state community colleges to create 20 pilot programs of career and technical education certificate courses for unemployed and underemployed adults.

Key legislative issues

Budget: The state's revenue picture is improving for the first time in years, triggering fights over which programs to restore first.

Death penalty: Some lawmakers want to outlaw the death penalty, while one whose son was murdered says voters should decide.

Economy: Colorado is only beginning to recover from a downturn, and the first bills to be introduced are aimed at helping working families and creating jobs.

Education: House Republicans want to pump more money into colleges, while Democrats are looking at the first significant reform of the school finance act in decades.

Elections: Democrats want to change rules that prevent registered voters from getting mail ballots if they've missed an election, and put more restraints on Secretary of State Scott Gessler, a Republican, who they say has been trying to suppress voters.

Guns: Mass murder at an Aurora theater and a Connecticut elementary school push Second Amendment issues to the fore.

Labor: With Democrats in control of both chambers and the governor's office, union activists are pushing their causes, including the return of a bill to allow collective bargaining for firefighters.

Marijuana: Voters legalized the sale of marijuana, and lawmakers will need to implement rules.

Oil and gas: Battles continue between the extraction industry and local communities, with some residents wanting lawmakers to take a side.